2023 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Mesa (Ariz.) CC continues as a strong No. 1 in the latest NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
There are just over three weeks until the 2023 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, November 11, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
2
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
3
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
4
Daytona State (Fla.)
Daytona State (Fla.)
4
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
No. 1 Mesa (Ariz.) CC – who collected 10 of the 12 first-place votes – has competed just once since the last poll, finishing 13th in the UC Riverside Highland Invitational. The Thunderbirds, led individually by Jorge Torres, were behind just one JUCO squad, that being NJCAA DI No. 9 Central Arizona.
Defending national champion Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC remains No. 2 and garnered one first-place vote. The Pumas traveled all the way to Wisconsin for the Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational and finished as runner-up to host (and NCAA DIII No. 2) UW-La Crosse. Nathan Pestka impressed individually in taking second place.
No. 3 Lansing (Mich.) CC repeats at No. 3 and received one first-place vote. The Stars were runner-up in the Muskegon Jayhawk Invitational, losing only to NCAA DII No. 2 Grand Valley State as Michael Dennis broke up a potential GVSU perfect score by finishing fourth.
There is a tie at No. 4.
For Heartland (Ill.) CC – last year’s national runner-up – it’s a move up by one spot. The Hawks won the Greenville Classic, led by a 1-2 finish from Matt Padilla and Ben Huey, both former M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week. For Daytona State (Fla.), it’s a third-straight time at No. 4 as the Falcons haven’t competed since the last poll.
Completing the top-10 teams are No. 6 Wallace State (Ala.) CC, No. 7 Cowley (Kan.), No. 8 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 9 St. Clair County (Mich.) CC and No. 10 Allen (Kan.) CC.
